Live 24-Seven -Wining & Dining
The Cotford Hotel L’Amuse Bouche Restaurant
The Cotford Hotel has become the life work of Chris and Barbara Morgan and together they have tirelessly worked at transforming this magnificent Victorian building into the fabulous boutique hotel it is today, worthy of the accolades bestowed upon it, not only for the standard of the hotel and gardens, but also for its fabulous L’Amuse Bouche Restaurant, well deserving of its 2 AA Rosettes and listing in The Michelin Food Guide. Destination dining at its best!
We were lucky enough to secure our table for four on a Friday evening, something that is not always easy to do, as the restaurant is often fully booked, so advance booking is essential. We were welcomed to the hotel and shown to the very tastefully decorated Piano Lounge where we felt immediately at home. With pre-dinner drinks in hand and nibbles to keep us going, we were so happy to sit and chat that we forgot to check out the menus.
How do you begin to choose? With a great reputation for both fine dining and for the quality of the locally sourced produce, the à la carte menu was so tempting it was difficult to choose which dish to order, but luckily with four of us dining we could sample a variety of dishes between us.
The dining room has been lovingly restored to its former glory with the addition of Barbara’s impeccable interior design flair. The contemporary crystal chandeliers and spacious tables laid with crisp white linen immediately induced a feeling of good things to come. Dinner begins, obviously, with an Amuse Bouche courtesy of the chef and this evening’s was a delicate salmon tartlet, fresh and full of flavour that left us eagerly anticipating what might follow.
Starters chosen included Sautéed Tiger Prawns served in a filo basket with braised leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic and double cream; Loch Fyne Seared Scallops, flamed with Anisette and served with wild mushrooms, samphire and tarragon with pancetta dust; a stunning double-baked Taw Valley cheese and pumpkin soufflé, great for vegetarians, but enjoyed just as much by us meat eaters; Prosciutto di Parma, thinly sliced original Parma ham served with a light and beautifully refreshing orange, hazelnut and cherry tomato
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salad. Each dish delivered on all counts, inviting to the eye and fabulous to taste, the only difficulty was deciding which you would order if you could only taste one dish.
To accompany dinner we had chosen a French Sancerre to reflect the tempting French cuisine. This classic dry Sancerre with hints of freshly picked gooseberries proved the perfect accompaniment to the starters, with enough body to stand up to the meat ordered for main course.
I had quickly laid claim to the Herefordshire Fillet of Beef and was not disappointed with the beautifully cooked, 28-day dry-aged cut of beef, sourced from local renowned butcher D Waller of Ledbury. The fillet was chargrilled and served on a tarragon rosti potato with pleurotus mushrooms, tarragon glaze and a hint of black truffle in a smooth peppered cream, the truffle adding a completely new dimension to the flavour of this excellent piece of beef – truly stunning. Almost as good was the Haunch of Venison, a Scottish Highland rump steak cooked to perfection, served pink, tender and lean, which literally melted in the mouth. Served on a bed of wilted spinach and accompanied by a rather tasty elderflower and port wine jus, this dish was perfection on a plate, a must-have for all meat lovers.
If game is for you, there is no disappointment here either, our choice of Barbary Duck Breast was an excellent one, a superb rich breast thinly sliced over a nest of stewed red cabbage served with calvados and apple with a sweetened jus of red currants and pressed Seville oranges. This was a bold, imaginative dish with good strong flavours, complemented brilliantly by the sweetness of the red cabbage. If none of the aforementioned rock your boat there was
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